Minister Leon Schreiber: Border Management Authority 2025/2026 Festive Season

Commissioner, Dr. Michael Masiapato

Deputy Commissioners

Assistant Commissioners and Deputy Assistant Commissioners present,

The border management community,

Members of the media,

Fellow South Africans,

The first defining feature of the Border Management Authority’s (BMA) 2025/26 festive season operations is that we have seen encouraging signs of deterrence starting to work. During the past festive season, there has been a marked decrease in the number of attempted illegal border crossings. This is a greatly encouraging sign, because it means that, increasingly, persons who in the past would have crossed into our country illegally are being dissuaded from even trying to do so. This is a function of the visible progress being made by the BMA and its partners in the border law enforcement area, as well as our dedicated focus on deterrence through constant communication.

During the period between 10 December 2025 and 15 January 2026, a total of 25,080 individuals were intercepted. Of these, 22,153 were undocumented persons with no valid travel or identification documents. A further 2,324 individuals were detected for overstaying, while 603 were found to be inadmissible due to invalid passports, fraudulent visas, or failure to comply with health requirements. BMA border guards participated in 531 joint law enforcement operations, which consisted of roadblocks and vehicle checking points. They further conducted 10 455 vehicle and foot patrols and raided about 8 288 hotspot areas within the border law enforcement areas.

The decrease in attempted illegal crossings can be attributed to a number of operational improvements by the BMA and its partners.

Firstly, following the introduction of AI-powered drone technology during last year’s festive season as part of our focus on digital transformation, we have seen the continued positive impact of this improved surveillance capacity. For the first time, the BMA is now able to conduct surveillance on vulnerable segments of the borderline, day and night.

Secondly, a dedicated focus on cracking down on those who facilitate illegal crossings has seen a growing number of arrests and prosecutions of these kingpins, while the BMA’s communications campaigns have spread the word that the days of a free-for-all at the border, are over.

Thirdly, partnerships continue to be a key part of the BMA’s progress. A powerful example comes from engagements with the Cross-Border Road Transport Agency (CBRTA). After the BMA engaged with this organisation and resolved that bus drivers who transport undocumented people across the border will be arrested and that the buses will be confiscated, we have seen a dramatic decline in such incidents. This example demonstrates the power of partnerships where all of us, as South Africans, take responsibility to combat illegal movements across our borders.

Another important example comes from cooperation with the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) and the private sector. Through this collaboration, boats, DCD Protected Mobility vehicles and a Sherp all-terrain vehicle were deployed on and around the Limpopo River, which further enhanced visibility and deterrence. Additionally, the devastating floods that our northern regions experienced also meant that rivers were swollen and more difficult to cross than in previous years.

I wish to thank CBRTA, the SANDF, as well as the South African Police Service (SAPS), the South African Revenue Service (SARS), intelligence structures, the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC), the immigration inspectorate of the Department of Home Affairs, as well as traffic authorities for their continued partnership and contribution to the progress of our deterrence efforts.

The second feature of this past festive season has been the marked increase in lawful travel and tourism. The BMA plays a critical role in economic growth by facilitating such travel, as well as cargo transport. South Africa set a new record of 10.48 million tourist arrivals during 2025, and the BMA has been central to smoothly facilitating this record number of visitors to our country, including during the festive period.

This was reflected in the fact that the BMA successfully managed the movement of 4,902,269 travellers across 71 ports of entry during the festive period. This included the processing of 340,876 private vehicles, 9,072 minibus taxis, 10,349 buses and 145,113 trucks for import and export. In addition, 7,787 aircraft and 243 vessels were processed.

The contribution of the BMA and the Department of Home Affairs to driving economic growth and job creation through tourism is set to increase dramatically during the coming year as a result of the Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA), one of our flagship digital reforms. This system, which is securely linked to a traveller’s facial biometrics and uses machine learning to instantly adjudicate tourist visa applications, went live for the G20 leaders’ summit. The BMA and partners are currently rolling out upgrades to the Electronic Movement Control System (EMCS) to ensure that facial recognition is activated at all international airports and busy land borders, where after we will make an announcement on the scale-up of the ETA.

But let there be no doubt about it: the ETA is going to supercharge tourism job creation from major but largely untapped markets like India, China and Indonesia at a scale we have never seen before. I want to commend the BMA for remaining focused on implementing these digital reforms even during the height of the busy travel season.

Turning to individual ports of entry, 84% of travellers during this period were facilitated at the top 10 busiest ports of entry, with OR Tambo International Airport leading the way, followed by Lebombo and Beitbridge. Lebombo alone recorded an increase of 184,398 travellers compared to the previous festive period.

It is therefore important to note that six out of the ten busiest land ports – namely, Lebombo, Beitbridge, Oshoek, Kopfontein, Maseru Bridge and Ficksburg – are set to be completely redeveloped through a major public-private partnership. I look forward to the BMA and National Treasury concluding preparatory work within the next few weeks ahead of the selected bidders being announced. This is set to be a catalytic infrastructure project for our country that will massively enhance both border security and regional trade.

Ladies and gentlemen, while the progress achieved during this festive season is significant, both in terms of deterring attempted illegal crossings and facilitating lawful travel, the task of building a modern, efficient and secure border management system remains ongoing. Continued investment in personnel, infrastructure and technology will be essential if the BMA is to fully realise its mandate. Critically, the chronic underfunding of the BMA must be addressed, as this organisation has demonstrated the necessary commitment to address long-standing challenges in this area. Any investment in the BMA will ultimately pay for itself by reducing the impact of illicit trade and illegal migration, and enhancing revenue collection.

I wish to commend all BMA officials and partner agencies for their professionalism, resilience and dedication under demanding conditions during the 2025/26 festive season.

Our collective efforts demonstrate the value of a coordinated, whole-of-government approach to border management and reinforce the importance of sustained collaboration in securing South Africa’s borders. The progress we are seeing also shows the power of digital transformation to fundamentally improve all aspects of the BMA’s work. This includes both enhancing security and contributing to economic growth and job creation through lawful migration and trade.

Importantly, the work that is underway on the law enforcement side is beginning to have a deterrent effect that discourages illegal crossings from being attempted in the first place. As the saying goes: prevention is better than cure, and that is the clear progress we are starting to see in the border environment.

It is greatly encouraging that this past festive season saw both a meaningful decrease in the number of attempted illegal border crossings, and record tourism numbers showcasing an increase in lawful visits to South Africa. Going forward, our focus must be on accelerating this trend to both contribute to economic growth and job creation, while creating a more secure country.

Thank you.

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